Cutter-head.



F. GARTLIDGE.

CUTTER HEAD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1911.

Patented 00u. 7, 1913.

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F. OARTLIDGE. CUTTER HEAD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1911.

1,074,834, Patented 001111913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWW l Vm @f FRANK CARTLIDGE, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

CUTTER-HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Uct. 7,1913.

Application filed August 10, 1911. Serial No. 643,421.

To aZZ whom it may concer Be it known that I, FRANK CARTLIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of indiana, have invented a new and useful Cutter-Head, of which the following is a specification.

There is one type of mining machine commonly in use in which the cutting is accomplished by means of cutters carried by the links of an endless chain which is carried, generally in a horizontal plane, at and across the Vforward end of a cutter head by means of which the cutting chain is carried bodily transversely into the breast of coal while it is at the same time being driven longitudinally. 1n such a structure the chain is supported, in the forward end of the cutter head, by means of idlers, over which it is drawn, and between the idlers is supported by wearing strips or members which resist lateral displacement of the chain. In such a cutter head, difficulty has been heretofore experienced in so constructing the same that the mating members, from which such a head is formed, can be firmly held together to satisfactorily form a support for the idlers.

The object of my present invention is, therefore, to produce a cutter head of the type described of such character as to obviat-e the difficulties heretofore experienced, several objects of the invention being more 1specifically pointed out in the description and claims. A

rIhe accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan of the assembled cutter head, with no attempt to show the details of `the chain; Fig. 2 a front elevation; Fig. 3 a section, on an enlarged scale, through the axis of one of the idlers; Fig. 4 a plan of the under member of the head; Fig. 5 a plan of the upper member of the head; Fig.

,6 a section on an enlarged scale, on line 6-6 of Fig. 1 with the chain omitted, and Fig. 7 a fragmentary plan of the bottom of the chamber formed by flange 32.

1n the drawings, 10 indicates the lower member and 11 the upper member which mate together to form the main body of the cutter head. rlhe lower member is provided conveniently with a pair of rearwardly projecting fingers 12, 12 by means of which it may be fastened to the cutter head carriage of an ordinary mining machine. At each forward corner of head member 10, l form a pocket 13 which is partially surrounded by a semi-circular rib 14, the two ribs 14 being connected at their ends by a rib 15. Ribs 14 and 15 are accurately machined at their upper edges so as to accurately and firmly mate with similar ribs 14 and 15 carried by head 11, the ribs 14 partially surrounding the pockets 13 formed at the opposite forward corners of the head member 11. ln order to provide a further firm support for the middles of the upper and lower head members, provide mating ribs 16 and 16, the upper edges of which are flush with the upper edges of the adjacent ribs, the arrangement being such that, by means of suitable clamping bolts 17, the two head members may be firmly clamped together with the edges of the two sets of ribs 14, 15 and 1G and 14, 15 and 16 firmly seated together.

Surrounding the forward edges of the two cutter head members are wearing plates or strips 18 which are detachably secured to the head members and are spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the links of the cutter chain 19 of any well-known type, said wearing strips thus forming a channel between which the cutter chain runs andtaking the wear thereof. These wearing strips may be readily replaced when worn so as to thus save the main body of the critter' head. Formed through head member 10 at the center of each pocket 13 is a bolt hole 21 through which is removably projected the bolt 22 which is threaded at its upper end and is of suflicient length to project into a shouldered opening 23 formed through plate 11 at the center of pocket 13. A shouldered nut 24 is threaded upon bolt 22 and seated in pocket 23 so as to assist in clamping the upper and lower members 10 and 11 of the cut-ter head together. Sleeved upon bolt 22 is a hardened bushing Q5 which, at its lower end, is provided with a plurality of equally spaced dowel pins 26 which fit within similarly arranged pockets 26 formed in plate 10 around the bolt head Q1, the arrangement being such that the bushing 25 may be turned upon bolt 2Q. and held in any one of a series of positions in order t-o present a new wearing surface, as will be made to appear.

1n practice, 1 find that the dowel pins 26 should be so placed that the bushing can be turned through an angle of about 900 and reseated. Bushing is preferably of a length equal to the distance between the inner faces of the two head members lO and 11 and in order to ho-ld the bushing in place, so that it may be rmly retained in place even after the removal of the upper head member from the lower head member, I form a pocket 25 in the upper end of the bushing, said pocket being so formed as to receive a clamping nut 2 7 threaded upon the upper end of bolt The under face of member 11 carries a boss 100 which lits within the upper end of pocket 25 so as to form a firm support for the upper end of the bushing. J ournaled upon bushing 25 is the hub of a sprocket wheel 23, the said hub having a length substantially equal to the length of the bushing.

The sprocket wheel 28 should have its rim approximately midway between the upper and lower' head members and, in order that proper provision may be made for the lubrin cat-ion of this wheel, the rim is connected to therhub by a horizontal flange 31 which is of as great extent horizontally as possible, so that the line of junction between the outer portion of this horizontal flange and the depending rim may have extent enough to give sufficient strength to the wheel at this point. It has heretofore been common to produce an idler wheel of this general type but the custom has been to connect the de- Y pending rim with the upper end of the hub by an inclined portion, rather than a horizontal plate or flange, so that the line of junction between the depending rim and the hub was comparatively short, and, as the thickness of material cannot be great Owing to the contracted space within which the wheel must rotate, wheels of that type universally break along the short line of junc- -tion between the rim and the hub. By making the wheel of the form shown in the drawings, where the depending rib is supported at the outer edge of the horizontal flange or plate, the line of junction is increased and the strength of the wheel at the point of junction with the depending flange is correspondingly increased.

Surrounding the hub of sprocket wheel 28 is an annular hub 32 which is preferably formed integral with the lower head member 10 and is of sufficient height to extend up into engagement, or practically into engagement, with the lower face of the hori zontal flange 31 of the sprocket wheel 28. Ihe internal diameter of rib 32 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the hub of wheel l28 so as to form an oil pocket 33 andv the suitable packing 34 is mounted in an annular groove formed in the upper edge of rib 32 to engage the under face of flange 31 of the sprocket wheel and keep out the dust and grit. Y ings 25, the hub of wheel 28 is perforated, as indicated at 35. Oil may be introduced In order to properly lubricate bushinto the oil chamber 33 through an oil passage formed through flange 31 and an oil passage 37 formed through plate 11, the two oil passages being so arranged that pas sage 35 may be brought into registry with passage 37. Passage 31 is ordinarily closed by a screw plug 38. I

In order to take the thrust applied to that 4portion of the chain lying between the two -sprocket wheels, I provide a pair"A of wear# ing plates 11 which are detachably secured to the forward faces of ribs r15 and 15. These wearing plates alvaremade of hardened material capable of withstanding considerable wear and are of a width equal to the height of the ribs 15 and 15? lso that when the two mating members of the head are clamped together, the adjacent edges of the wearing strips 41 will be brought firmly together. If these adjacent edges of Athe wearing strips are brought firmly `Vtogether throughout their width, the 'rubbing Laction of the chain would upset the corners ofthe wearing strips and tendt-o gradually pry the mating members of the head apart. In. order, therefore, to avoid this difficulty, I undercut the adjacent corners of the A*two wearing strips as indicated 'at42` so that space is provided forV yany such upsetting without possibility of interfering `with the tion indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, practically all of the wear upon the lefthand bushing 25 will be upon its forward l'efthand quadrant and practically all of the wear on the righthand bushing will be upon its' forward quadrant. In the course of time, therefore, theselimited portions ofv the bushings become so worn as to render the operation of the apparatus difficult v whereupon the operator may, by removing the upper head member 10, and by loosening nuts 27, raise the bushing 25 enough to free pins 26 from their pockets and turn the bushing` 9070, whereupon a new wearing surface ofthe bearing, concentric with the bearing in thev sprocket wheel, willr be'v presented in working position. rlhe sprocket wheel is preferany providedY withY a readily renewable' bushing or lining 28, whiclnlwhen renewed, will closely fit the newly presented wearing portion of bushing 25'.

I claim as my invention: Y 1. In a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming 'a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending through said body members in the axis of the pocket, a bushing sleeved upon said bolt between the body members and angularly adjustable thereon, a nut mounted upon said clamping bolt for independently clamping the bushing-in place, and a chain wheel journaled upon said bushing.

Q. ln a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending through said body members in the axis of the pocket, a bushing sleeved upon said bolt between Jthe body members and angularly adjustable thereon, said bushing having a pocket in its upper end, a nut mounted upon said clamping bolt for independently clamping the bushing in place, a boss carried by the upper body member and fitting within the upper end of said pocket, and a chain wheel journaled upon said bushing.

3. ln a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending` through said body members in the axis of the pocket, a bushing sleeved upon said bolt between the body members and angularly adjustable thereon, a nut mounted upon said clamping bolt for independently clamping the bushing in place, and a chain wheel journaled upon said bushing, said chain wheel comprising a central hub, a hori- Zontally extending flange at one end of said hub and a depending rim at the outer edge of said horizontal flange, an annular fiange carried by the lower head member and surrounding` the wheel hub to form an oil pocket therefor.

A. A cutter head comprising a pair of mating body members having engaging portions to determine the spacing thereof, means for clamping the two members together, a chain wheel mounted between the two body members, a bearing bushing for said wheel arranged between the two body members, a clamping bolt passing through the two body members and through said bushing, a nut on said bolt for independently clamping the bushing upon one of the body members, a second nut on said bolt for clamping the other of said body members upon the bushing, and a flange carried by the lower body member and surrounding the hub of the chain wheel and spaced therefrom to form an oil well, the upper body member and the chain wheel having registrable perforations through which oil may be introduced into said oil well.

5. In a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending through said body members in the axis of the pocket, a shouldered nut on said bolt, said nut being countersunk in the surface of one of the body members, a bossvcarried by said countersunk body member opposite the countersinking, a bushing sleeved upon said bolt between the body members and angularly adjustable thereon, said bushing in its upper end having a pocket in the upper end of which tits the boss on said body member, and a chain wheel journaled upon said bushing.

6. In a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending through said body member in the axis of the pocket, a bushing sleeved upon said bolt between the body members and angularly adjustable thereon to any one of a series of positions, said bushing having a. pocket in its upper end, a nut on said clamping bolt within said pocket, a boss carried by the upper body member and fitting within the upper end of said pocket, and a chain wheel journaled on said bushing.

7. In a cutter head, the combination of a pair of mating body members forming a wheel pocket therebetween, a clamping bolt extending through said body members in the axis of said pocket, and a bushing surrounding said bolt between said body members, said bushing being angularly adjustable to any one of a series of positions only when the body members are separated, and being provided at one end with a pocket, a nut threaded on the bolt and lying in the pocket to engage the bushing, and a body member being provided on its inner surface with a boss which projects into said pocket and being countersunlr on its outer surface to receive the nut of said clamping bolt.

ln witness whereof, l, have hereunto set my hand and seal at lndianapolis, Indiana,I this eighth day of August, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and eleven.

FRANK CARTLIDGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

